nucleotide

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​tide ˈnü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 

ˈnyü-

: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of nucleic acids (such as RNA and DNA) compare nucleoside

Examples of nucleotide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This four-tone greeting is not a specific communication per-se, but the nucleotides of guanine, uracil, adenine, and cytosine, which represent the building blocks of RNA. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025

The technology scans the entire genome for single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs—the spots where one person’s genome might have a T, while another’s has a C—for associations with human behaviors. —Eric Turkheimer, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025

That nucleotide flashes light in a characteristic color that identifies which base is being connected. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025

Then, in 1984, a British geneticist named Alec Jeffreys discovered DNA fingerprinting, which allowed scientists to take a sample of hair, skin, or saliva and single out a sequence of nucleotides specific to one person. —Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, irregular from nucle- + -ide

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nucleotide

• diphosphopyridine nucleotide
• triphosphopyridine nucleotide

Rhymes for nucleotide

• acetamide
• acetonide
• acidified
• antimonide
• beatified
• benzaldehyde
• borohydride
• chalcogenide
• commodified
• decalcified
• declassified
• disaccharide

Kids Definition

nucleotide

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​tide ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 

: any of the basic units of structure of DNA or RNA that consist of a base (as adenine, cytosine, guanine, or thymine) joined to a sugar (as deoxyribose) with five carbon atoms in a molecule and to a phosphate group

Medical Definition

nucleotide

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​tide ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 

: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of RNA and DNA compare nucleoside